This invention relates generally to building construction systems and, more particularly, to building construction systems for forming walls, especially foundation walls and the like.
Concrete foundation walls have typically been constructed using expensive and reusable forms. These forms have typically been heavy and extremely labor-intensive to assemble. To reduce construction expense, various other form systems for walls have been proposed. These systems typically reduce labor costs and expense through the use of light and inexpensive materials that can be left in place after concrete or other building materials are poured into the form system.
Although effective, these alternate systems are not without drawbacks. Typically, these designs have required parts that are formed by injection molding, which is an expensive process requiring expensive tooling. This injection molding limitation also has limited the practical length of the parts that can be produced to around nine feet long. These relatively short lengths increase labor costs by increasing the number of connections required in the assembly process.
Previous designs have generally required complex shapes and have required relatively complex assembly procedures. This complexity has increased training costs and has decreased efficiency as workers learned to use the system. Further, this complexity has increased tooling costs.
Futhermore, leveling the top of the form has been difficult and labor-intensive with previous designs. It is critical to have a level foundation upon which to build, yet prior artdesigns have generally not provided a convenient way of achieving a level configuration.
Another important design criterion concerns connection to abutting pieces and the ability to form corners without requiring complex pieces produced by labor-intensive operations. Previous designs have necessitated the use of special pieces which increase tooling costs and increase the complexity of the design. Further, appropriate inventories of each of the pieces had to be accurately established to avoid costly delays midway through the project as more pieces of a certain type were purchased and transported to the job site.
In view of the foregoing, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a new and improved wall form system and apparatus.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved wall form system and apparatus that provides attachment surfaces to which drywall can be coupled to meet existing building code requirements.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a wall form system that is easy to use and that reduces training costs by eliminating the numerous special use pieces required by many previous designs.